5 ABS Payroll & Accounting Alternatives for Growing Productions (And a Model That Finally Pays You Back)
Many independent productions start with payroll-focused services like ABS. They’re a practical solution for smaller projects with simple payroll needs.
But what happens when you grow?
You hit a wall. You start to feel the pain of payroll delays, non-transparent pricing, and a system that isn’t built for full-scale production accounting. You realize you need a real, professional tool, but your only alternatives seem to be the legacy giants who charge massive per-project fees ($5,000-$10,000+) and lock you into their ecosystem.
What if there were a better model? What if your accounting software scaled with you, was built on a modern, blazing-fast platform, and actually became a profit center for your company instead of a cost?
That’s Periscope. Below is an honest comparison of how we stack up against ABS and the other common alternatives.
Part 1: The Business Model Comparison (The "Big Picture")
| The Big Picture | Periscope (The New Standard) | ABS Payroll (The Starter) | Legacy Giants (EP, C&C) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | One low monthly subscription for your entire company (unlimited projects) | Payroll-service-based fees; non-transparent | Massive per-project licensing fees ($5k-$10k+) |
| Business Impact | Becomes a profit center for your company | A simple cost center | A major budget drain on every production |
| Primary Focus | Full-Scale Production Accounting | Payroll Administration | Enterprise-Level Services |
| Scalability | Unlimited. Scales from indie features to a full studio slate. | Limited. Not designed for larger or complex projects. | Enterprise-scale, but with high costs. |
| Budget Integration | Seamless, one-click import from our budgeting software | Manual import/export required | Manual import/export required |
Part 2: Core Accounting Features: Head-to-Head
| Core Feature | Periscope | ABS Payroll | EP SmartAcctg. | Cast & Crew PSL+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget Import | (Seamless 1-Click) | Limited | ||
| Film Cost Report | Limited | |||
| A/P Aging Report | ||||
| Check Printing | ||||
| Bank Reconciliation | ||||
| Petty Cash & CC Mgt. | ||||
| General Ledger Report | ||||
| Trial Balance | ||||
| The Bottom Line: | A complete, professional suite of accounting tools built for any budget size. |
Why Growing Productions Look for an ABS Alternative
You’re likely here because you’re feeling the pain of a system you’ve outgrown. As your original copy noted, many users report persistent issues that get in the way of a professional workflow.
- Lack of Price Transparency: Independent filmmakers struggle to budget when costs are hidden. This adds unnecessary stress to financial planning.
- Payroll & Documentation Issues: Reports of frequent payroll delays and slow (even snail-mailed) paystub delivery disrupt workflows and delay post-production tasks.
- Limited Production Suitability: The software is simply not designed for larger-budget entertainment projects that need a fully integrated, enterprise-level accounting solution. It’s a payroll tool first, and a limited accounting tool second.
If these pain points sound familiar, you’re ready for a real, full-scale accounting platform. Here are the common alternatives.
A Detailed Look at the Alternatives
1. Periscope Apps
Overview: Periscope is an accounting-first platform that delivers enterprise-grade features without the enterprise-sized price tag.
Core Strengths: Designed for flexibility and scalability, Periscope provides professional-level tools at an affordable price, empowering you and your team to collaboratively manage unlimited projects with ease. Its true strength lies in a seamless budgeting-to-accounting workflow, enabling you to oversee your entire slate. With a seamless one-click import feature directly into Periscope Accounting, collaborate with teammates anywhere in the world without any downtime.
The Periscope Difference: Periscope is payroll-agnostic, allowing you to choose any payroll provider while enjoying a lightning-fast accounting experience that saves you valuable time. Built with flexibility at its core, Periscope gives you the freedom to pick vendors on your terms, without compromise.
2. Cast & Crew (PSL+)
Overview: Cast & Crew’s PSL+ ecosystem provides a straightforward production accounting experience, with automation and workflow integration that far surpass ABS’s payroll-focused capabilities.
Core Strengths: It excels at streamlining operations across the entire production cycle, particularly for larger or multi-location projects, with robust cost tracking, PO management, and expense payments.
The Periscope Difference: PSL+ is a powerful legacy tool, but it comes at a massive per-project price tag. Periscope provides the same core accounting power but on a modern, faster platform and with a revolutionary subscription model. You get enterprise-level features without the enterprise-level cost, allowing you to run unlimited projects for one low price.
3. Greenslate
Overview: Greenslate excels in delivering modern, efficient payroll and accounting solutions. Its app emphasizes integrated workflows, transparency, and support.
Core Strengths: Greenslate is praised for its fully integrated end-to-end platform, managing everything from onboarding through post-production without toggling between tools.
The Periscope Difference: Greenslate is a great modern payroll company, but their software is designed to keep you locked into their payroll service. Periscope is payroll-agnostic. We give you the freedom to use any payroll provider you want, while still offering a superior, faster accounting platform and a business model that saves you money.
4. Entertainment Partners (EP) SmartAccounting
Overview: An industry staple, EP offers a fully integrated, cloud-based platform through SmartAccounting, unifying budgeting, payroll, vendor payments, and reporting.
Core Strengths: Features over 250 reporting templates and seamless integration with their (also very expensive) Movie Magic Budgeting software.
The Periscope Difference: EP is the definition of the “old way.” You pay a massive fee (upwards of $10,000) for one project. Periscope provides the same professional-grade accounting and a better budgeting-to-accounting workflow for a tiny fraction of the cost, allowing you to run your entire slate for what EP charges for one film.
5. Wrapbook
Overview: Wrapbook is a true all-in-one platform, combining onboarding, timecards, payroll, and accounting into a seamless system.
Core Strengths: Wrapbook offers on-demand payroll, union compliance, a user-friendly mobile app, and transparent pricing, making it a strong modern competitor to ABS.
The Periscope Difference: Wrapbook, like Greenslate, is a payroll company first. Their accounting tools are designed to support their core payroll business. Periscope is an accounting-first platform, built to be the most powerful, flexible, and profitable financial hub for your production company, giving you the freedom to choose your other vendors.
Stop Graduating from One Problem to Another.
Graduate to a Solution.
Don’t jump from a “lite” payroll service like ABS to a “heavy” legacy platform that drains your budget. There is a smarter, more profitable, and more efficient way to manage your productions.
Periscope is the only platform that scales from your first indie feature to your full studio slate, all for one low monthly price. It’s the only platform built to be a profit center for your company.
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